An Affair Of The Heart Review
By: MattInRC
There are two ways to look at the rock biopic An Affair of the Heart: one is to celebrate the life and diehard fans of singer Rick Springfield. The other is to ask why a someone well past his prime and singing a song that was popular nearly 30 years ago would receive such treatment as to deserve an entire documentary. Whether you're willing to explore this deep psychological debate is up to you, but as a documentary, the result is too thinly packed for us to amend our opinion of the guy who made 'Jessie's Girl' such a popular anthem.
Instead of probing the singer beyond the usual fluff, Director Sylvia Caminer takes the low road, spending time with superfans to discuss what Springfield's music means to them. Sure, it's fun to see a hero through these stilted eyes, but it's far more illustrative to get the center of your story to speak directly about their own life. Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage did just that in 2010, forcing the Canadian rock trio to share their story in their own words. The result was a far more personal look than what we get here. Caminer spends too much time with star-struck fans as Springfield goes on a limited tour schedule, while everyone from suburban mothers to rape victims discuss how his music has affected them. Such testimonials are insightful, maybe even inspiring, but Caminer fails to dig deeper into Springfield's depression or his suicide attempt when he was 15. Those tales would have been imminently more satisfying and insightful than the type of heavy-handed 93-minute back slap we're forced to endure.
An Affair of the Heart feels like a self-serving and largely meandering infomercial to keep someone relevant whose effect disappeared soon after 'Jessie's Girl' left the Billboard charts.
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